Presentation
An otherwise healthy male patient in their 60s presented to the emergency department and reported symptoms of fever, confusion and dizziness leading to falls, which had progressively worsened over the prior 10 days. The patient denied having headaches, lack of consciousness, any breathing difficulties or respiratory symptoms or any abdominal pain or diarrhea. He also denied feeling any localized pain.
He had no history of recent injuries or sick contacts. His only unusual exposure history is that he recently returned from a 6-month trip to Vietnam, where he frequently visits family and participates in local customs during these extended visits. Blood cultures grew a gram-negative bacillus that fermented lactose on MAC agar, was indole negative and had particularly mucoid colonies.
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Austin Woods, MLS(ASCP)CM, Microbiology Technical Specialist, Corewell Health West Regional LabAdam Caulfield, Ph.D., D(ABMM), Technical Director of Microbiology, Corewell Health
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